Lost
by CelesteJetter
Summary: Bella and Edward go to a new college a little off, bringing good and bad times. But when Bella finds Charlie remarried, she finds herself in a horrible mess. Will she survive it? BellaXEdward & JacobOC
1. Prologue

Bella looked at herself in the mirror with a triumphant smile. The new uniform that decorated her figure seemed to be the most amazing thing in her life right now.

Well, besides Edward.

"Bells? Are you ready yet?" Charlie Swan had been nervous all morning. Bella wasn't sure if it was because he took off work today or if it was due to the fact that she was leaving.

Yes. She was finally leaving to go to the college across the state called McCullough University. Her and Edward were studying biology there.

"Almost. I just have to pack a little more." She took another second to admire the blue skirt, white collared shirt, and blue tie. She had pulled her hair up, exposing her neck, facial features, and her makeup. Alice would be attending, as well as the others, and had begged her to wear makeup.

Of course, Rosalie hadn't said anything; Emmett had pretty much commanded her to wear some; Jasper just chuckled at Alice's enthusiasm; and Esme and Carlisle kept their parenting gazes.

Edward, on the other hand, told her that he would like whatever she chose.

As always.

Bella turned when she heard a creak from her rocking chair. She smiled at what she saw.

Edward Anthony Masen Cullen sat with a smirk plastered to his beautiful, Greek-god-shaming features. She saw the blue pants hugging him loosely while his white collared shirt was half way buttoned, showing his pale, amazingly muscled chest.

Bella had to remind herself that she needed to breathe.

"I'm glad that we chose this college. The blue looks spectacular on you." His voice always seemed to make everything seem insignificant.

"I guess I don't have to tell you how-" He held up his hand to halt her compliment. "You're correct. You don't have to tell me."

Even though they both knew that he couldn't read her mind, he had grown to know her so well. Well enough that he might as well have been able to.

"Well, I'm going to anyways." Bella went through her drawers to see if she was forgetting anything. She noticed the cocky position that he shifted to when she found a skirt.

"Are you now?" Bella could tell that he was happy. Or maybe there was a hidden meaning behind this playful attitude.

"Yes, I am." She folded the black skirt and placed it neatly in her suitcase, covering a new red blouse.

Suddenly, she felt cold stone wrap around her and gently press against the hollow of her neck.

Her heart was beating so rapidly that she almost thought that it had spontaneously combusted.

"What were you going to tell me?" Her breathing became labored as her mouth began to grow dry from anticipation. Another kiss was pressed below her ear and she almost forgot what her name was.

Edward wasn't into the control thing right now. There was something wrong.

But Bella wasn't thinking right to even address it at this moment. She just felt his cold kisses and heard her breathing erratically.

"Bella, answer me. What were you going to tell me?" She clenched her fist to try and find something in her brain that would give her even the slightest hint of what they were talking about.

"I-"

Suddenly, Edward moved away from her and she had to catch herself from moaning in protest. Her mind was going wild with thoughts of what could've happened if they had more time.

Instead, she turned to see him walking fluidly to the now empty closet. It never seemed childish to her at how he did that. It wasn't like he could hide under the bed.

Charlie was coming. She could tell by his movements and the look in his eyes.

When Edward shut the doors behind him, Bella saw the smirk on his face.

"Bells? Come on, Hon! We have to get to the train station by noon." She wasn't really fond of the nervous Charlie. She liked him better when he was more laidback.

Like when Harry was alive.

"Okay," she almost forgot that she could talk. "I'll be out in a second. Go start up my truck for me."

Bella had refused to show up in a police cruiser. Her first day at a college didn't need to be marked already.

"Alright. I'll be waiting."

She was sure that her dad had left when Edward reappeared.

"I don't see why I can't drive you." He closed the suitcase on her bed that was full of clothes, watching her intently throughout the process.

"I'm not going to see him for six months. I might as well let him drive me."

Edward nodded and gave her a smile; one to freeze time. "Is that what you want?"

Bella nodded and then remembered her conclusion to his behavior before.

But before she could mention it, she heard her truck's old and obnoxious horn. She had liked it before this moment. But now…

"We'll see each other at the train station." Edward walked over to her with her suitcase and gave her a light peck while handing it to her.

"Charlie's ready to leave." He replied with a chuckle as he stepped back to avoid Bella's kiss. "He's scared that I'll show up and take you away." Not a bad idea really, she thought.

"Well, we did agree to go to the same school. I'm not surprised." Edward started pushing her out of the door ever so gently, but still making progress.

"Go before he wakes everyone in Forks up." Bella looked back at him with a frown. He merely smiled and replied, "I'll be there by the time you are. So will everyone else."

Bella muttered a "perfect" before walking away. "Have a nice ride."

"I'll try."

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

To Be Continued

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	2. Chapter 1

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Chapter One

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Bella sat in her truck's passenger seat awkwardly. They were already half way there and Charlie hadn't said a word.

She sighed and looked out of her window, watching the small city of Forks pass her by. It was hard to imagine that she wouldn't be able to see the market, the school, and the beach, even the Cullen house.

"You gonna miss it here?" Bella jumped slightly by Charlie's sudden urge to speak.

"I'm only going to be gone for six months," she said, partially to herself. When she thought about all that could happen in six months, though, she began to feel the barrier start to cascade to the floorboards below her.

"You act like that's a short time. I won't be able to see my princess as much."

_Oh no. The nicknames._

She was reminded of why she wasn't moving out yet. To keep Charlie company before she disappeared completely with Edward. Married and vamped.

"I know it might not seem much to you now."

_Crap. Is he going to go all "fatherly" on me now? I don't think I can listen._

And she didn't have to. When she was done complaining to herself, Bella realized that he had grown silent. And more than making her feel more comfortable, she felt insecure.

"I'll be back before you know it. Why don't you invite a friend over? Maybe that Sam Uley?" Bella didn't know much about Sam, only that he helped with search and rescue, was a little close with Charlie, and that he was engaged to an Emily Young.

"I don't know. I might." His tone wasn't very convincing.

Suddenly, Bella felt her back pocket vibrating. Edward's cell phone was with her, in case the others wanted to talk to her.

She picked up the small hand device and pressed to her ear gently. "Hello?"

"Bella, tell Charlie that Carlisle would like to get to know him if he would like." Alice. She had obviously seen this conversation.

Then again, Alice saw everything didn't she?

"Alice says 'hi'," Bella merely replied and immediately saw the smile spread across her father's face. He always had liked her.

He was probably very elated that Alice was also attending her college.

"Bella, we're waiting. Edward's a little excited."

"What are you talking about?" Emmett's voice made Bella smile. But if he was there, so was Rosalie.

Rose and Bella weren't exactly "close" if you know what I mean. But they had each other's back if the situation called for it.

"Alice…" Bella smiled when she heard Edward's voice. "Hang up. She's almost here since I can hear Charlie's thought."

Sure enough, they were in the train station's parking lot.

"I know. I was just informing her!" A sigh escaped the excited pixie on the other end. "See you soon." _Click._

Bella placed the phone back into her back pocket and looked at Charlie as he parked her truck.

The loud rattling of the engine died as he turned the key. For a minute there, Bella thought that her father's stern expression meant that Edward was coming.

But her sex idol of a boyfriend wasn't in sight.

Suddenly, she felt warm arms embrace her cold figure.

"D-Dad," she stuttered out from the shock. His arms loosened a bit and she realized why he had been so nervous.

Charlie was worried about the breaking down that would happen eventually. He was trying to be more fatherly and manly at the same time.

"I'm going to miss you, Bella." Bella was shocked at Charlie's sudden loving attitude. He was always the caring, laid back father, but now he sounded sincerely sad.

And she felt guilty about leaving him alone now. Harry, Renee, and now Bella had left him.

"I'll miss you too, Dad," she said, hugging him back. He seemed so out of placed in this fatherly-daughter moment. And even more out of character, he was in jeans and a neat, Polo shirt; he wasn't in his usual uniform.

"Write me. No, better yet, call me."

"I can't do that unless you let me go," she said, but as politely as she could make it sound.

"Yeah, okay. Call me when you get there." He kissed her forehead gently and pulled away.

Bella stepped out, scared that he would take her into another bear hug. "Bye, Dad."

"Bye, Bells."

She grabbed her stuff and began to walk into the train station. When she looked back, she swore that she saw Charlie wipe a tear away.

She hurried to platform six, fighting the guilt on her way.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella knew when she was close.

Her guilt seemed to shift into a calm state of serenity. Jasper had to be manipulating people's emotions again.

She rounded a corner and smiled as she saw seven familiar, pale beings. The two tallest she knew were Carlisle and Emmett. Emmett's large build didn't intimidate Bella anymore, but she noticed other humans shy away from him.

Carlisle had just come from the hospital, seeing as his long, white coat was draped around sea green scrubs. His beautiful wife Esme was talking to Edward, turning his attention away from Bella. She noticed that Emmett made a throaty laugh at something that had been said.

Next, Bella noticed the blonde goddess tucked into Emmett's side. Rosalie. Her blonde hair seemed to go well with the blue, even though that was obvious. The girl always seemed to be the idol of perfection.

Sometimes, Bella had to wonder why she didn't acknowledge her own imperfection when near Rosalie.

Then, she saw Jasper. The most recent add on to the family seemed to be eyeing the many different humans passing by them. After the past that he had been forced into, Bella wasn't shocked that he was always… hungry. But he was a very antisocial person unless he changed when his only company was Alice.

Speaking of Alice, the little pixie was skipping Bella's way. It wasn't childlike when she skipped; it was fluid and graceful.

Alice's short hair made her uniform look less feminine, but it changed into womanly when she noticed the blouse had a button undone at the top and bottom each. And there were only five on the whole thing!

"Alice! Why are you-" But before she could finish her protest, the petite girl replied, "Jasper likes it. And it's hot outside." Not that the temperature really mattered, but some humans were listening in on the conversation.

When she began dragging Bella to the Cullen family, the human girl had to pay attention to her luggage. If she made one wrong movement, everything would go flying.

"Oh come on, Edward! Nothing holding you back now. No parental guidance. I mean, you both want to," she heard Emmett say with a mischievous grin.

Bella's face must have been bright red from the sudden rush of blood to her face. She could feel the burning on her cheeks and Jasper's gaze said it all.

She looked up just in time to see Edward's burning eyes if gold. He must have smelt the blood or heard someone's thoughts to know she had arrived.

"You okay," he merely asked. By the way he looked at the entrance, she knew that he meant Charlie.

"I'm fine," she said after smiling kindly toward the whole family while letting go of her luggage at last. She hadn't seen them in a while, seeing as Edward and Alice were the only "high schoolers" in the family. And she was able to avoid the hospital for once.

"Do they have mixed dorms," Esme asked while eyeing Emmett and Edward. Emmett sighed with a sort of disappointment.

"They don't."

Suddenly, a whistle sounded and the family realized that the train was departing soon.

Everyone said their goodbyes as the six boarded.

"Why did we have to ride a train," Bella asked as Edward put her luggage away.

Edward smiled as she began to take in the small compartment. Only two or three could fit in one. Well, maybe just one Emmett.

"They're paying for it, Bella. Esme wanted us to be courteous about it." She knew that Edward would've rathered his Volvo.

"They" obviously meant the college.

Bella sat near the window, hoping that the sudden heat of the compartment would fade in the shower to come.

_Might as well be comfortable for the hour ride._

She looked up as Edward closed the sliding door behind him. His reddish brown hair seemed to glow in the dim light and Bella had to keep from staring.

Instead, she went to remove her coat, but Edward stopped her. "You're going to get cold."

He sat next to her and pulled her into his arms, the chill of his body helping so much.

"Air conditioning. Finally." She gave him a smiled as he looked down at her. The way his golden gaze burned into her soul made her want to kiss him. And not just an ordinary kiss either.

But she didn't. She just nuzzled into his body, noticing how they fit.

"Finally going to college," he said while running his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah." That was her intelligent response.

Bella watched flashing red lights pass and she thought of Charlie. No more Charlie for six months.

"When should we marry?" She knew it came out of nowhere, but this was probably the best time to discuss it. That way, she wouldn't look like some petifile while she was with Edward.

"Soon," he replied before kissing her forehead. "Whenever Alice can convince Charlie."

Great, she thought. We're never going to get married.

Edward's arms wrapped around her as he said with that crooked grin that she loved, "You're so adorable when you're impatient."

Bella smiled, feeling all of the negative feelings dissipate. "You spoil me."

She shivered slightly when his chin rested on her shoulder and he took in her scent. When there was only silence, she felt him smirk against her ear. "No. It is you that spoils me."

Bella looked at him, his eyes holding all of the temptation she had ever felt. She went up and interlocked their lips, feeling the delicious ice in her mouth.

And he returned the kiss, unable to resist it any longer.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

To Be Continued

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	3. Chapter 2

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Chapter Two

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6 Months Later

Six months had gone by fast to Bella as she found herself getting off of the train at platform six in her little hometown of Forks. Charlie had agreed to let her visit Dr. Cullen and his wife when she arrived.

Odd.

She shrugged it off when she felt cold hands grab hers. She looked down and saw Alice with a large smile. "Happy to be home?"

The smell was the same; the scenery was just as green; and the people still seemed to blend in with the environment.

But just by looking around, a hole in her heart seemed to fill.

"Yes, I missed it."

Alice smiled at her and said, "Come on! We're going to go to Port Angeles for a little while!"

Bella's eyes didn't have time to widen for Alice to start pulling her toward her yellow Porsche. That car held a lot of memories for Bella.

But she suddenly wasn't touching the ground. She looked around and saw bronze hair. The feeling of stone wrapping itself around her was more comforting than people would've ever imagined.

"Hey, Edward! Me and Bella are going shopping!"

The two girls watched Edward shake his head with shock. Usually he was okay with it. What was up?

"I have something already planned for Ms. Swan and I."

Alice made a pout and twirled on her heel. "Fine. But me and her are going to go shopping sometime this week." Jasper was already at the entrance, waiting for her.

Edward merely smiled his little crooked grin that made Bella melt, even after seeing him in every class with it on.

Emmett, suddenly, came up and punched Edward in the shoulder. "You two be good, okay?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes as she joined her lover's side. "What's going to happen? It's not like he could impregnate her."

Bella's face turned red at the thought of that.

Edward was obviously getting nervous as well, seeing as his grip tightened and he quit smiling.

"Still got to warn them. If you see any wolves, tell us," Emmett said with a smirk. He was always ready for a fight, wasn't he?

The Cullen children had told Bella about the wolves and the vampires going against each other for centuries. And right now, she didn't like the sound of the wolves. They were so vicious and got angry so quickly, not even listening to reason.

"Let's go, Emmett." Rosalie walked off and Bella swore she saw Emmett staring at her hips.

"See ya!" And then the large vampire ran after his fiancée.

Edward and Bella were left alone in the train station. And she was in a very vulnerable position.

In Edward's arms, unable to touch the ground.

"Um… Edward? You can let me down now."

He just began walking forward, as if she hadn't said a word. "We're going somewhere special after seeing Carlisle and Esme."

Bella raised a quizzical eyebrow and asked, "Oh really? Where?"

Edward just smiled and walked to his Volvo. He opened the door with no problem, obviously, and slid her in the passenger side.

He walked slowly to the driver's seat, watching Bella with his smile still intact.

He slid in and closed the door, taking in the feel of his car after so long. "Ready to go?"

Bella shrugged, still cautious of where he was taking her. She remembered when he had taken her to prom. It wasn't going to happen again.

He smiled as he put the thing in reverse and backed out and then drove out of the parking lot. "Carlisle will be happy to see us."

Bella nodded, glad that she knew something of his plan. "Esme as well." She looked around and smiled as she noticed the market again. The Newtons' was looking less busy, not that she could remember it being busy. But it was winter again and many would be staying home for the winter holidays.

Speaking of Newtons, she saw Mike coming out of the shop just as they passed. His spiked hair seemed to hang lower now that it had grown and his childish features were red from the cold. Not to mention the backpacks on his back looked heavy.

She saw the police station and thought of Charlie. But his police cruiser wasn't in his parking space. That was strange.

Bella was shocked to feel Edward's marble hand grasp hers and she forgot all about Charlie's odd absences. "What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing really. Just going through the changes."

Edward nodded and went around a curb. And there, Bella saw the hospital. There was a new addition to the back and she suddenly felt excited about the new add on.

"Wow! I don't remember Carlisle saying anything about this in his letters," Bella exclaimed as they rounded it. The large sign of "emergency" shone over the entrance to that part of the building in red and there were at least five ambulances aligned perfectly in certain parking spaces.

It seemed so professional compared to when she had last seen the place. It stuck out.

But she wasn't surprised when Carlisle walked out with a large smile, his hands in his coat pockets.

When Edward parked near the entrance, Bella got out and smiled as she walked over to Carlisle. "Congratulations," she said while looking at the addition again.

"Shouldn't I be congratulating you," Carlisle asked while smiling warmly at her and his "son." "This is just an improvement for the emergencies that come in."

"That doesn't make it less wonderful," Edward said while admiring it himself. Bella felt his arm wrap around her shoulders again and she got closer.

"You two look more married than Esme and me sometimes," Carlisle said with a chuckle. The two just ignored it so their discomfort on the subject would subside.

"How was college, Bella," the doctor immediately asked, sensing the unintentional tension that seemed to fill the air.

"It wasn't what I expected," she said truthfully. But then again, she should've known not to believe everything you watched on television. "It was great, though."

Edward smiled down at her and that made her smile. He had been through many colleges, but she knew that he was more interested in how she was taking in her last moments of human life than how much it didn't or did change.

"Glad to hear it." Suddenly, Carlisle's beeper began to go off. He smiled up at them and replied, "Sorry. I'll have to leave you for a surgery."

But the two nodded with understanding and the doctor walked back inside.

"He's thinking of inviting you and Charlie over for dinner," Edward said while looking at his watch. Bella wondered what he was trying so hard to make.

And then she felt him leading her back to his car. "Are we going to see Esme now?"

Edward shook his head when he led her to his car once again. "She's busy doing something. Carlisle was thinking about it when we pulled up." Bella wondered what she was busy doing when her family had finally come back.

But then again, Edward had already made a plan for just the two of them somewhere. Which meant that they were headed immediately to it now.

"So where are we going," Bella asked after he got in the car and pulled out. His cold hand seemed to grow tense with excitement as he grabbed hers. When he didn't answer, she tried to look into his eyes to see if they would let _anything_ clue her about where he was taking her.

"Stop trying to ruin your surprise, Bella," Edward finally replied when Bella found nothing in his gaze. He eyed her when she finally sat back and formed a slight pout. "Be patient. We're almost there."

She looked up to see his burning, golden gaze and sighed. "Okay. We better get there soon." His hand tightened on her hers and she could only smile. How could she stay mad at him?

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

It had only taken a few minutes for Bella to recognize the path leading into the forest when Edward parked. The trees still parted the same way, the place still smelled heavenly. And if she listened hard enough, she could hear the stream in the distance.

She looked up and noticed through the clouds that it was about to descend into the darkness of night. But she didn't care. She wasn't scared of much, seeing as Edward was always by her side.

She got out and walked ahead to where her beloved was waiting for her. "I'm guessing you remember where we are."

Bella sure did.

She smiled and walked ahead; ready to see his precious meadow again. It had been so long since she had even asked for a glimpse of the beautiful paradise.

They finally stepped into the beautiful scene and Bella felt complete bliss wash over her. The stream, the neatly cut grass, the way that the sun peeked through the clouds and trees, and the flowers that appeared every now and then…

It was too perfect for words.

"Miss it," Edward asked as he stepped through a light streak of sun. The back palm of his hand sparkled in a way that took her breath away. For some reason, it didn't take away the masculinity of his person. It just added to his miraculous-ness.

"Yes. It's been a long time." She walked to a little patch and saw down. The breeze that danced through the trees and across her skin made her smile wider.

She was so enveloped in the atmosphere that she didn't even jump when Edward's arm snuck its way around her waist.

"What are you thinking," he asked as she felt him pull her closer. His breathing landed against the side of her neck, near the jugular vein. Even if he was so close to where he could tear her away from life, she didn't care.

She loved him so much. If people knew how much…

"How much I love you," she said with a smile. This place brought back memories and helped her forget the complicated studies that she had to remember whenever she went back to Biology 101.

"Nothing special compared to how much I love you," he replied as he pressed a kiss to her throat. Her mouth parted very slightly and she had to stop herself from making a sound.

"That's what you think," she said as he pressed a trail of kisses up her neck.

A chuckle escaped him as his arm tightened around her. "That's what I know, Bella."

She loved how he said her name. It was so mesmerizing. So amazingly beautiful that if he said it again, she was liable to lose control.

She felt him press another kiss to her ear and she couldn't tell if she had let out a breath or took in a gasp. All she knew was that there was some sort of air passing through her body.

"So how do you like college so far?" Bella was shocked by the question. "Well, I guess it's okay. Nothing special."

Edward seemed to be disappointed by that answer. "It's everything, Bella. It's what builds up your human character."

"But I'm not going to be human for long."

Edward didn't reply to that. He still wasn't used to the idea of Bella turning into his kind. But she didn't care. She was intent on being with him for the rest of eternity.

Even if he didn't like it.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

An hour or so had passed before Edward had driven from his spot to the residence of the Swans. The funny thing was that it was no longer the two-story house that she was used to.

It was another one, a much larger one with a balcony seen on the side with a large, beautiful garden in the backyard. The exterior was whit with blue shudders and the cop cruiser seemed out of place.

"This house could probably rival yours," Bella said, a little irritated by the fact that Charlie hadn't spoken of his new house's extravagance.

"Edward laughed at Bella's remark and hot our of the car to escort her to the door. When they began walking down the neatly paved driveway, she noticed that Edward seemed to be a little nervous.

But she was unable to ask about it before coming to the door.

"Welcome home," Edward said with a smile.

"I don't know if I can call this home just yet," Bella muttered as she took in the expansive doorway.

How did he afford this?

Edward wiped away all of those thoughts when he kissed her forehead. "You will in time. If you can stand seeing me rip off another vampire's head, you can stand anything."

Bella would've rather not been reminded of that horrible fight. If the Volturri hadn't come, the Cullens could have been dead.

(A/N: Remember that she never met Jacob, so the idea never occurred for them to join together.)

"I guess so." Edward gave her another kiss before walking back to his car.

Before Bella could even breathe, though, the door swung open to reveal a beautiful young woman with curly, black hair and vivid green eyes. A gold, halter dress decorated her Native American figure while her chandelier earrings contrasted with her elegant up do.

"Oh! This must be the wonderful Isabella I've heard so much about!" Bella felt the woman's arms wrap around her as the name _Isabella_ clicked in her head.

This was why Edward had seemed nervous. The house came along with a rich freak.

Must be the sales woman over for celebration.

The woman let her go and immediately began to help her into the house.

"Oh, Charlie! Isabella is home!"

Bella looked up to the woman as she closed the door behind her. "It's Bella."

The household freak seemed to be shocked by Bella's blatant attitude, but shrugged it off when Charlie entered the beautiful den.

"It's nice to see you again, Princess!"

Since when does Charlie act so warm? And what's with that huge smile on his face?

"You, too," she said while finally taking in the living room. The large television sitting opposite of the white leather and fireplace matched perfectly with the black coffee table and the exotic rug at the door.

The chandelier hung over a beautiful grand piano that almost made Bella's heart break.

"Like it," Charlie asked after following her stare to the percussion instrument.

"Oh! Does she play," the woman asked while scurrying to her father's side. I say, "scurrying" because those golden stiletto heels probably wouldn't go past two feet per hour.

"Not that I know of," Charlie answered slowly while eyeing Bella.

"Anyways, this is Cara, Bella." The college girl watched as she grabbed the woman's hand finally added, "She's your new mother."

Bella looked at them and felt as if she was staring at a broken television screen; the sound was mulled over and everything was growing blurry.

"Bells?"

And then, Bella only remembered black.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

To Be Continued

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**


	4. Chapter 3

**A/N:** Oh, I forgot to say that Billy can walk in this. And no one in Forks knows him like in the books. And sadly, he's a drunk in the beginning. But later on in the story, I promise that you'll love him as much as you do now.

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Chapter Three

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Bella awoke to the smell of peppermint and a wet feeling against her forehead.

"See, sweetheart. After many years of acting and feinting spells, I've learned many different cures for things." The peppermint was the Cara's perfume.

"Bells? Are you okay?" Bella opened her eyes to see a worried Charlie. Sadly, she remembered that face very well.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Just light headed." That was an understatement. She felt disconnected from her body.

"Luckily, your father caught you. You almost hit your suitcase. And that would've been just awful!" _Fake. She is so fake!_

If there was one thing that Bella couldn't stand, it was fake people. But right now, she couldn't hate anything. Her head forbid it.

"Do you need anything," Charlie asked, obviously having his main concern on Bella.

"No, I'm fine. I just need an aspirin as large as my head." She gave up on fighting the headache. It wasn't going to leave her alone.

Cara smiled and said, "Sweetheart, go get the Aleve on the fridge." Charlie nodded and left immediately.

Bella looked into the woman's eyes and somehow felt a sort of discomfort well up into her heart. But she shrugged it off and just listened to her talk.

"Your father speaks so highly of you. When we met at the party that was only for the police force and relatives, I thought that I had seen an angel. And he is. He most certainly is."

When Charlie came back, Bella sighed and told herself that this woman was going to be here for a long time and she needed to play "perfect daughter" until she left with Edward.

"Thanks, Cara."

"Call me, C.C. honey." _Yay, more nicknames._

"Isn't she amazing, Bells? She helped me out of my little episode of missing you so much. She's a retired actress, too."

_That explains the money._

"Wow. That's nice," Bella said with a forced smile. But she could feel the pain seep through.

"Dear, why don't you take her upstairs so she can sleep? We can do all of this tomorrow, alright?" Bella liked that idea very much.

Charlie nodded and walked up to the couch and picked up Bella's limp body. There was no other pain that occurred but the one that happened to burst forth when her head bobbed.

"Ow…" she complained quietly as Charlie carried her upstairs and into the first room to the right. The room was a lot like her old one, except a lot cleaner and… well, girly.

Her rocking chair wasn't there, though. And she had wanted to take pictures of Edward in it.

She felt her bed beneath her and felt at ease as Charlie let her go and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Bells? Are you sure that you're alright?"

"You couldn't have mentioned all of this in the letters, I guess?" Bella didn't even think over her words. She just spat them out.

Charlie's smile seemed to wipe away any irritation she had. The only time she remembered seeing him smile like that was when him and Renee were still together.

And now…

"I wanted it to be a surprise." _Oh, it was definitely surprising._

When Bella didn't remark, he patted her hand lightly and rose. "I hope you two can get along."

She nodded as she felt some sort of drowsiness take over. And she felt bad when her door closed, and she couldn't open her eyes when something cold enveloped her shoulders.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Downstairs

"Sweetheart? I'm going out for a little while. I have to check on a few things," Cara said as Charlie walked downstairs.

His eyes grew wide at his wife's unexpected statement. "Um, okay. What time do you think you'll be home?" He saw her clutching her cell phone.

"Soon, hopefully." She smiled and walked out. "Love you! Kisses."

And then she was gone.

Charlie sat on the couch and thought over Bella's reaction to his new wife. He hadn't expected her to faint, but then again he didn't expect a lot of things that she did.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Somewhere in La Push About An Hour Later

"Look, woman! Look at your kids!" _SMACK!_

Cara felt her body go back a little as her ex-husband slapped her. "You abandoned your kids for wealth and fame and now you come back because I'm not feeding them right."

Billy Black spat at his ex-wife. Even though he was a drunk, he couldn't see how a woman could dump her own kids.

"No! I abandoned them because they turned into what that Sam Uley kid did. You think I could risk that?"

"I'm pretty sure that you've risked worse, Cara! Take them! They need a mother!"

Cara glared at Billy and then looked back to see her daughter, Ivy Black, and her son, Jacob Black, watching them.

She turned back to Billy and replied, "They aren't my responsibility. I have a new life, a new house, a new husband, and a new daughter."

That set Billy off as he stalked toward her. "So you think you can leave your past behind you? Do you?" He raised his fist, but both of them knew that he couldn't hit her.

"Your past is your life. No matter where you go, it will follow."

Cara moved away and grabbed her purse. She threw the green pieces of paper that she had wadded in her fist by now. "There! Raise your kids!"

She turned and walked out of the door, but stopped when she felt weak hands grasp her wrist.

"Momma! Momma! Please, don't leave me here with them," Ivy begged, tear stains streaking her dark complexion. Her black hair was dirty from the woods and her brown eyes matched the color of her other form.

Cara snatched her arm away and walked to her car.

She caught a glimpse of Jacob in her rearview mirror. He just seemed to be watching her with a smug look on his face. It was as if he knew that this was going to happen.

The woman slammed on the gas, leaving that house and group of people behind. And she now had her daughter's phone. No more interruptions.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Next Day

Bella awoke around five to feel ice-cold stone wrapped around her. His eyes were closed, but she knew better. He wasn't asleep.

"Edward?"

His eyes opened and she saw the black jump at her. His hunger. He had to go hiking soon. Had to.

"Yes?"

She smiled and kissed his nose. He chuckled and loosened his grip on her.

"No, don't go away." She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer.

His breath caught as she felt his face get close to her throat.

"Bella. You seem to forget how little control I have." His voice was deep and she knew that it wasn't just hunger.

"I think you have more than you give credit for," she said as she placed her head on his chest. She needed to be close to him. Everything about him made her whole. And if she ever lost him…

He pulled away easily and rose from the bed, which left Bella pouting.

"I'm doing this for you, Bella." She rolled her eyes and merely replied, "Stop worrying about me for three hours and come back to bed."

Edward lifted an eyebrow at her statement. "Three hours? What makes you think it'll be that short?"

Her heart stopped beating. And he smiled his little crooked grin.

"Liking your new mother," he asked while steering clear of the window. The sun was beginning to rise.

Bella almost forgot about her. "Well…"

If she complained to Edward, he would be all "heroic" and try to fix it. Or she might disappoint him.

I…you can handle anything./I She had to prove that.

"She's not what I expected," she stated while trying to get to him. But he was good at avoiding her.

"Yes, I know what you mean." A sigh escaped him as he folded his arms.

Bella knew something was up. "What's wrong?"

He looked at her and then at the door. Another sigh and he moved to the opposite side of the room. "You were talking in your sleep again."

She froze and waited for him to go on. She wondered what she said now that made him get on edge.

"You didn't want me to read what your new family was thinking." Bella's eyes grew wide.

Edward sighed and walked closer to her. "I haven't kept many promises, but I will on this one. I promise that I won't listen to their thoughts."

His tone had turned to serious so quickly that Bella had a hard time keeping up.

But when she saw his eyes, she knew. Even if they were black, she could see that he wouldn't lie about this one. It was so serious. It was almost scary.

She didn't want to ruin this. So, she nodded and replied, "Thank you." But she still couldn't help her thoughts.

Why had she said that in her sleep?

And then she noticed the uncomfortable look on Edward's face.

"Go. You need to eat." _What an odd way to put it._

Edward turned to her and looked her over. A smirk appeared again and she could tell he was about to say something playful.

"I'd rather stay here and eat you." He came toward her and she had to tell herself to keep from laughing.

"No, go on ahead! I'm serious. Charlie should be getting up soon for work."

He smiled and nodded. "Alright. But I'll be back."

Bella smiled back, feeling her heart swell with happiness. "You better."

And then, he was gone. Again.

She sighed and lied back in bed. She didn't know what she was going to do today. Maybe she could go see how much had changed through the months.

Maybe she and Alice could go shopping finally.

Or she could start her useless homework.

Suddenly, a really hard knock echoed through the house and Bella jumped to an upright position.

"Who is knocking so early," she heard Charlie ask groggily.

She rose and walked to her door. She opened it, just in time to see Cara walking after her father. Bella followed slowly and stopped when Charlie opened the door.

A young, Native American girl with dirty, black hair and soot-covered clothes ran inside and embraced Cara.

"Mommy! Please don't leave us again!"

Bella watched with a questionable look on her face as a very tall man –or boy- walked in. His black, shaggy hair framed his face in a sort of boyish emphasis kind of way. His eyes reminded her of freedom and the forest.

His copper skin only made his muscles stick out more. She wondered who he was.

But she stopped thinking that when he looked up at her and she felt frozen; like a deer caught in headlights.

Her heart sped up as his glare softened in a way, but kept a slightly hard edge to it. She wanted to look away from him, but found herself unable to. He held a sort of aura that she wanted to get to know.

"I-Ivy! Jacob!" Cara looked outside and a look of shock crossed her face. There, standing at the door was her ex-husband, Billy.

"Take care of them, Cara," he said as he turned to leave. But he stopped.

Bella watched as she saw him pull out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to the boy named Jacob. "In case of emergencies," he said with a forced grin. And then he turned to leave again.

Our confused heroine walked downstairs and froze when Jacob ran after his dad and thrust the money in his father's hand. "You know you need this more that I do, Dad."

Bella watched as the old Native American looked back at his sun and then walked off with a sort of sad look on his face.

"Cara?" The brunette jumped at Charlie's voice and saw Cara and the children turn to him. "Care to explain?"

Cara nodded and looked at Bella before replying, "This is my daughter Ivy and my son Jacob. They've been living with my ex husband for a few years now."

And then the girl ran to Charlie and smiled. "Hello, Chief Swan. I've heard a lot about you. My name is Ivy. I don't mean to intrude, sir."

Bella's father only smiled and replied, "No, that's fine. We have plenty of room for you in the house, family, and in our hearts."

Ivy smiled and nodded. She looked at the other Swan, and Bella was positive she saw a dirty look covered by a smile.

Charlie looked at Jacob and held out his hand. "It's nice to meet you, Jacob. Won't it be nice to have another guy in this house full of women?"

Jacob looked at his hand but didn't take it. Obviously, he didn't like this situation at all.

And frankly, Bella wasn't feeling it herself. It was a little alien to her.

"You must forgive Jacob. He's not exactly the easiest to gain trust from lately," Cara said immediately, but glaring at her son. Jacob didn't seem to care though.

_Lately? Why not lately?_ Bella was wondering why she worded her sentence like that.

"That's understandable. I was like that when I was young." Charlie smiled and looked up at Bella finally.

"Sweetheart, you and Ivy will be sharing a room, okay?" Bella nodded, hoping to seem hospitable. She had to at least try to get along with these people.

"Good. Could you show Jacob the guest room across from yours then," he asked. Jacob was already up the stairs and in the room.

"Never mind," Chief Swan said with a nervous laugh. Cara looked beyond frustrated.

But Ivy looked ecstatic. "Thank you so much, Chief Swan." She then looked at Bella. "I guess I call you 'Big Sister', right?"

This brightened Cara immediately. "That's so sweet! You two should start bonding. I need to talk with Charlie."

And then, Ivy sped up to where Bella was, who was still dumbfounded by the situation.

"Where's our room, big sister," she asked with such a fake smile that it made Bella sick.

She turned and began to lead and when they made it there, Ivy was shocked by the way the room was. Kind of like how Bella was.

"Wow, this is so beautiful." Ivy ran to the closet and said, "These are your clothes?! Can I borrow some? They're beautiful!"

Bella sighed and reminded herself that she wouldn't be here very long. Just a little longer.

"Of course. We're sisters now. My clothes are your clothes. And you don't have to call me 'Big Sister' if you don't want to."

And that was when Ivy scoffed. "I was only doing that for the parents. I would never call you that."

Bella looked at her disbelievingly, but just ignored it. It was her first night. She was just unaccustomed to this kind of lifestyle.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella walked out of the shower and peeked out of the door. No one. She immediately wrapped the towel around her tighter and opened the door.

There, stood Jacob Black.

Bella gulped and clutched the towel tighter and closed the door again.

His eyes stayed in her mind though. They were lonely, angry, and depressed.

She sighed and just decided to change in there instead of in the privacy of her room. This was going to be a crazy adjustment.

And she couldn't see Edward at night anymore.

_Great._

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

To Be Continued

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**


	5. Chapter 4

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**Chapter Four**

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

Bella awoke to light snores. She turned and saw the extra bed pulled in for Ivy. The girl was snoring.

She turned back around and saw the cordless phone. Edward ran through her head. And then a pain surged through her chest.

She grabbed the phone and went to the bathroom, not trying to wake up "Miss Thang."

When she reached the bathroom and closed herself in there, she dialed Edward's number.

The sound of his voice was so perfect, so reassuring. "Hello?"

"Hey, Edward."

"Bella? It's late."

"I don't care," she said as she began to fiddle with the translucent curtains.

A chuckle was heard on the other end before, "Yes, you do. Your voice is drowsy."

"It's only because I just woke up."

When there wasn't an answer, she knew that she had won that little argument.

"Who's the girl in your bedroom?"

That was odd. Just by reading their minds, he should've been able to tell.

"_I haven't kept many promises, but I will on this one. I promise that I won't listen to their thoughts."_

"Oh. My new step-sister, Ivy."

"Oh."

Bella was shocked to hear the hostility emanating from that one word. It was… odd.

_Maybe this is a test to see if I'm willing to fit in._

"Be nice. She is my family now."

It took awhile for him to reply, but he sounded perfectly normal. "That's my angel."

So it _was_ a test.

"You should go to bed. Your kind can't stay up like mine."

"No. I haven't heard my lullaby." She was willing to say anything to keep him with her longer.

But that wasn't going to work.

"You have a piano. I'm sure that I didn't dream up our little summer lessons."

He won that round.

He chuckled again and added, "Go to bed."

"No," she immediately protested. She longed to listen to him just a little longer.

"Okay, how about this? You go to bed and I'll take you to Port Angeles tomorrow. It's supposed to rain."

That plan sounded nice. No Cara, no Ivy, and not to mention the homework she was able to skip.

"Fine. You win. For now," she said with a smile.

"Alright. Good night, Bella."

"Good night, Edward."

When she pressed the "end" button, she looked at herself in the mirror.

Her hair was tangled and had brought electricity to mind. Her shirt and shorts were a little mismatched while her eyelids were drooping slightly.

_I'm so glad Edward can't see me._

Suddenly, the door slammed open and a blur passed Bella to get to the toilet.

She turned to see Jacob with his head over the plumbing device while an odd, maroon liquid escaped from his mouth.

Bella turned, feeling a little awkward watching him.

But when she heard a flush and then another gag, she felt sorry for him. She turned back to face him and pulled back the long mass of hair that hung around his face.

Only when she brushed against him did she realize that he only had a pair of jean shorts on.

She shook her head and rubbed his back comfortingly as he let out the rest of what he had ingested.

That was when she smelt the too-familiar scent of copper.

Bella looked to the contents before reaching to the side to flush. They were a dark crimson while a light amount of stomach acid floated on top.

She looked away as she flushed the disgusting substance down the pipes. _Is he sick? Does he need a doctor?_

But before she could decide, Jacob threw her off of him and ran from the bathroom. Shock enveloped her to the point that she didn't know if she was pressed against the shower door or not.

Bella sat there for a good five minutes before realizing that she needed to get up.

She rose and grabbed the cordless, walking back to her room a little more vigorously then she needed to.

When she got there, she closed the door and placed the phone back on its holder. She slid quietly into bed, still unable to comprehend what was happening lately.

A new stepmother, a new stepbrother, a new stepsister, a new house, and not to mention Edward's odd behavior.

_We'll talk about it tomorrow._

Bella closed her eyes, trying to avoid events from tonight to come barging into her head. And then, she slept.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella awoke the next morning at seven, already getting ready in her mind for the day.

She pulled out some jeans and a nice blouse that was Edward's favorite color on her. Blue.

She ran to the bathroom, only to see Jacob leaning against the stairwell with a notebook and a cell phone. He was texting obviously.

_Maybe I should play nice. Especially after last night._

"Good morning," she said with a slight smile.

She stopped walking when he stopped texting and looked up at her with a glare.

He didn't say a thing as he turned and walked downstairs.

_Fine then._

Bella walked to the bathroom and placed her clothes on the counter. She looked into the mirror to see if her appearance had gotten worse. Instead, she saw a cell phone and yellow note from the showerhead.

She turned immediately and saw the metal device more clearly. And she recognized Charlie's handwriting.

Her hand snatched the note from the string holding it and the cell phone and began to read:

_Bella,_

_I know that this is hard to adjust to. I hope this phone will make it a little easier. Love you, princess._

_-Dad_

_P.S. You have unlimited everything._

Bella couldn't believe that her father was being so… fatherly.

But right now, she was so grateful for the phone, she forgot all about it. She grabbed the phone and flipped it open.

Her address her book was already filled with her father's number, Cara's number, Jacob's number, the police station's numbers, the hospital's numbers, the Newton's number, and shockingly, Sam Uley's number.

She wondered if her father really did hang out with Sam while she was gone.

But as she adjusted her water and put Edward's number in, she heard it go off.

Before answering, she made a mental note to change her ringtone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Bella! Liking the new phone?"

Who else, but Alice?

"I don't know. This is my first time using it, after all. But you knew that."

And then, the creepiest silence she ever experienced occurred. Alice didn't speak.

"I have to go take a shower. I'll talk to you later?"

"Of course! See you in Port Angeles! _Click._

The sound of uncertainty in Alice's voice had thrown Bella off. She didn't realize Alice had hung up until her phone beeped and flashed the call's time on the screen.

She put the phone on her pile of clothes and undressed, stepping into the shower afterward.

**-Intermission-**

Bella stepped out of the bathroom a few minutes later. Her hair was combed; teeth brushed; and body clothed.

She threw her other clothes into the laundry room's basket and walked into the large kitchen, getting her some Cheerio's.

A note was stuck on the fridge and she noticed very elegant, feminine handwriting.

Jacob & Bella,

Me and Ivy have gone shopping. Don't mess up the house. We'll be back soon. Kisses!

-Cara

Bella rolled her eyes and just continued eating her cereal. She jumped slightly when the front door slammed shut.

Her eyes averted to the source of the noise, already guessing who had done it.

There stood Jacob in the living room, along with another large stranger. Bella took a bite of her Cheerio's as she tried to get a glimpse of the man… er, boy's face.

"You have absolutely no garage here, Jake. You can come over to my place if you ever want to."

"Yeah, I'll think I'll do that. Thanks, Embry."

The two of them had a similar haircut, obviously Quileute, and looked like twins from behind.

But when Embry turned and matched stares with Bella, she knew that he was different. He had a mischievous look dancing in his eyes, and his canines seemed a little sharper than usual.

"This that stepsister you were talking about?"

"Yeah. Now, where do you think I can get me some new parts for a low price?"

It was obvious that Jacob wasn't into talking about his new family. She didn't blame him. This new lifestyle was going to be hard to get used to.

Bella shrugged as the two began to walk up to his room. She grabbed a piece of notepad and began to write a note of her own as she took quick bites of her cereal.

Hey, guys.

I'm off to Port Angeles for the day. I'll see you guys later on tonight.

-Bella

She smiled and finished her cereal in a couple more bites.

Bella grabbed her bag –not a purse, bag- as the boys came back down and lounged on the couches.

"Your sis is kind of cute, Jake."

She tried not to listen, but this sentence seemed to stick out to her. And it made her feel a little odd. Like she needed to laugh.

"Whatever."

Bella smiled at the typical brother answer. She opened the door and stepped outside, not entirely amazed to see a silver Volvo in front of the house.

But she _was_ surprised to see it so far from the door and driveway. She looked to the driver's seat to see Edward gripping the steering wheel.

_What is up with him lately?_

She walked to the car and knocked on the window slightly.

The look that Edward gave her –brief or not- made her eyes widen as far as her forehead would allow. His irises matched his black pupils and his eyebrows had furrowed into an almost animalistic glare.

But it disappeared and was replaced by a shocked face and then his beautiful crooked grin in seconds.

"Ready to go, Bella?" That was when she noticed that his window was cracked.

"More than you know," she said, mentally disregarding the multiple expressions.

His grin widened as he rolled his window down a little more. "Well, get in then."

Bella obeyed and walked to the other side, opening her door to see Edward's raincoat waiting to be draped around her shoulders.

"What's this for?"

"Alice said that once we arrived in Port Angeles it would start raining. Your kind gets ill very easily, so I thought that I'd bring something to lighten the chances."

She smiled and draped it around herself, unable to resist after something so formal as that. When he spoke like that, it gave her chills.

And about ten minutes into the ride and listening to Linkin' Park, she noticed that his posture loosened. And now was as good a time as any to discuss with him about his recent attitude.

"Is there something wrong?"

Edward looked at her questionably, not even noticing his speedometer reaching eighty. "No. Why would there be?"

She shrugged and began to fiddle with the buttons on the coat. "You just seem to be a little tense lately."

A musical note disguised as a chuckle escaped him as he passed a station wagon. "Is it that obvious?"

Bella didn't say anything and just waited for him to explain. If she had answered, he might have drifted off on another subject and skipped the whole matter altogether.

"It's nothing. Just some problems at the house."

Problems? Like what? That family was almost as perfect as perfect went. "What kind of problems?"

She wondered if it had to do with the new add-on to the hospital. Maybe Carlisle wasn't home as much as before and that left Esme a little lonely.

Or maybe it was because of the fact that everyone was in college now, when they were sort of used to just staying home after high school.

"Just minor things. Nothing really worth worrying about."

_Then why were you tensing up if it was nothing?_

Bella didn't hide her feelings when she shot him a look. She just waited for him to realize that there was nothing that he could hide anymore.

When he saw her look, his crooked grin made reappearance.

"It's seriously nothing, Bella. You know how we both over react when certain things occur."

That was true. She remembered when that one birthday party she had. It left a huge mark on her. Well, internally it did.

"I guess so."

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

When the two finally reached Port Angeles, Bella found herself looking at a nice thrift store.

Sadly, just looking at the doors made her feet want to cry. She wasn't much of a shopper, not even with Edward.

"Come on. We're not shopping today."

She looked to Edward with shock when she heard those words. "We're not?"

He stepped out of the car, closed his door, walked over to her and smiled. "Of course not. I'm going to teach you about art."

_Why does shopping sound slightly more exciting than that?_ Bella didn't feel like walking over to the museum. She might get harassed for stealing one of their most prized statues.

"Um… where?"

Edward smirked and merely took her hand and began to lead her to a building with no sign and covered windows. This was definitely not the museum.

"Edward?"

He didn't answer as he opened the door and pushed her gently inside, locking the door behind them. And then, he flipped on the light switch.

There was a huge sheet of white wallpaper along the back wall with different varieties of paint buckets along the others. Newspaper was among the floor for protection and blue suits hung up near the door.

Bella had an idea of what he meant by "art" now.

"No way."

That smirk never left his face as he began to pull the suits off of the coat racks. "Pull these over your clothes. We don't want that blouse to get dirty, would we?"

Bella smiled as she grabbed the suit from his offering hand, pulled it on, and stepped closer to the buckets.

"Are we using our hands, paint brushes, full body or what?" That only earned her another chuckle.

"It's art, Bella. Just use whatever is most comfortable for you at the moment." He smiled at her one last time before walking over to the green paint.

She didn't know what to do at first. This kind of freedom was new to her. No rules, no restrictions. It felt exhilarating, but also strange.

She stood there for a second, going over the different things that she could do. Paintbrushes were too restricted; hands made smearing lines; and feet just seemed a little stranger to her.

Then all of her restrained feelings toward her new family began to come to her. The way her stepmother acted so fake; her stepsister acting like a spoiled wretch; and her stepbrother not even trying to make it better.

She looked around and grabbed a yellow bucket of paint, her feelings taking over. And before she knew it, paint flew from the bucket, onto the wallpaper in odd splats and some droplets came back onto her.

Edward laughed and replied, "That's it. That's how you do art."

Bella felt all of the negative feelings disperse after she went through yellow, blue, and orange. And now, she was having more fun than she could've ever dreamed of. The freedom, the paint, and Edward made everything worthwhile.

This was definitely going to be one of her most treasured memories.

"Having fun, are we," Edward asked after a good bit of the paper was filled with a multitude of colors.

"Fun? What is that," she asked with a smile. She was very grateful for the blue suits now. She looked like someone threw up skittles on her.

Edward smiled and said, "There's a washroom to the left. I'm going to start cleaning up."

Bella nodded and began to slip the suit off as she walked over the bathroom.

When she was done cleaning off the remaining paint and draped the suit over some sort of towel rack. When she walked out, she saw a used hair dryer lying on the floor with the rolled up wallpaper next to it.

Edward was hanging up his suit and throwing the newspapers away. The paint from his face was no longer present, amazingly. How he did it, she didn't plan to ask.

"I'm glad you had fun," he said as he walked up to her. Bella smiled and hugged him, showing her appreciation for such a date.

"I had more fun than I thought possible with paint."

He laughed at that and hugged her back while running his hand gently through her hair.

"So where to next?"

Suddenly, Bella's annoying ring tone went off and she remembered that she hadn't changed it yet.

She grabbed her phone, placed it to her ear and answered with a, "Hello."

"Bells?"

"Hey, Ch-Dad."

"Where are you?"

"I'm painting with Edward in Port Angeles."

"Great! I was calling you to see if you could join us at Olive Garden over here. Cara wanted to treat Ivy and her new friends… er, Jane and Caitlyn? Yeah. Jacob isn't joining, but I thought that this would be a nice family affair."

_Since when is he so big on families?_ "I guess so. Just let us get done, okay?"

"Alright. Talk to you later."

"You, too." _Click._

Bella sighed and looked up at Edward, not wanting to leave.

"I have to-"

"I heard. You might want to lower your volume on your phone." Even if he was smiling, she could tell that he was disappointed.

"I'll try to remember that." She looked out of the window to see that Olive Garden was just around the corner.

"Go ahead. I'm going to do a few errands and I'll be back." Before he turned to the door, he brushed his lips across hers, making butterflies flutter in her stomach.

"O-Okay." He smiled and turned to walk to the door, but waited to let her walk out first.

Bella sighed and walked outside, waving to Edward as she began to walk to Olive Garden. All the while, she felt his eyes on her.

That is until she made it inside the restaurant.

The place was elegantly decorated and made her feel like she had just walked into Italy again. But this time, she wasn't saving Edward from himself. She was saving the time she had with her father as much as she could.

"Bella, dear! There you are!" Cara's fake voice rang in her ears as she saw the Native American woman with her daughter and friends. The friends looked just as snobby as Ivy acted. One was a blond while the other was a brunette. Bella didn't care about their names. The looks that they shot just made her mad.

"Sorry about making you wait." Playing nice was going to be harder now that tweedle dee and tweedle dumb had arrived.

"Yeah, we know. But the waitress hasn't returned so you're in luck," the brunette replied. "Oh, and I'm Ivy's best friend Jane."

"No, you're not. I'm her best friend, Caitlyn," the blond protested.

Bella didn't listen to the rest of their petty argument as her father walked in. She let him slide in next to Cara before sitting beside him.

The dinner was long and very uneventful. The two girls kept going on and on about how Ivy's new dad was one of the most well known men in the area for being sheriff and all. They also commented on how Cara was a retired actress with loads of money and that Ivy was lucky.

Everyone pretty much ignored Bella and she was fine by that. She never was into the whole family gathering thing anyways.

"I'm going outside. It's starting to get a little stuffy outside." Bella felt her phone vibrate at Ivy's words. She opened it and read a text message sent from Edward.

"Almost there. Meet me outside in about five minutes."

Bella smiled and decided to wait until Cara and Charlie were done discussing whatever it was they were discussing to tell them that she was riding home with Edward.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

With Ivy

Ivy stood outside, taking in the fresh air. She felt so excited and confident right now. All she had to do was talk about her mother appearing in that recent movie of "First Chair" and people came crawling to her.

Right as she was congratulating herself on the new accomplishments, she saw a silver Volvo pull up. The most gorgeous boy stepped out. She couldn't believe her luck. With his status, he probably would go for the things Jane and Caitlyn did.

She smiled when he stood all by himself on the sidewalk. This was her shot.

Ivy walked over to him and tapped him on the shoulder. His bronze hair and golden eyes made her want to melt.

"Hi there. My name is Ivy. What's yours?"

He looked at her with a little shock. Was he expecting someone else?

"My name is Edward Cullen." He began to look around, obviously starting to feel a little awkward. And she noticed that he was getting a little tense. Poor boy must have been nervous.

And then his name clicked.

"Cullen? As in Dr. Cullen in Forks?" She didn't hide her excitement as she snuck a little closer to him.

He noticed, though, and stepped to the side. "Yeah. He's my dad."

"No wonder you look so amazing."

"Uh, thanks."

She didn't like his awkward speech. And the way he turned to cringe his nose made her feel a little frustrated.

"I guess we're both very lucky to have such amazing parents. My mom played 'Juliet' in 'First Chair' last month, but retired."

When Edward didn't say anything, she tried to move to see his face more clearly. It was just so-

"Oh, there you are!"

Ivy jumped at Bella's voice. She turned to see her "big sister" running toward them. Great. Her new sister was going to try and make her look stupid.

But instead of acknowledging her, she saw Bella embrace Edward in a hug. He returned it with a crooked grin and completely ignored Ivy. "Miss me?"

Bella smirked and asked, "No. Why would I?"

He chuckled and replied, "Come on. Esme wants to have that visit before you have to go to sleep."

Ivy's new sister nodded and followed Mr. Drop-Dead-Gorgeous to his car.

The Quileute girl growled as she watched them drive off.

_She has everything. This is so not fair. I will make Edward mine, no matter what it takes._

)) Wow, that chapter was LONG! I hope you liked it, though. Well, I'm gonna go update some more.  See ya! ((

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**To Be Continued**

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	6. Chapter 5

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Chapter Five

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Bella sat in Edward's passenger seat in front of her house. She didn't want to leave. Not yet.

"You must be tired."

"Not really." She looked to Edward, to see him reaching behind his seat. What was he doing?

And then a large box appeared and she had to lay it across her lap to examine it. Was this why she was left at the dinner longer than she had hoped?

"What is it?"

Edward laughed as he replied, "Open it and find out."

"You know I don't like surprises, Edward."

"I know, but I'm sure that you'll like this one."

She sighed and turned on the car lights before pulling the lid off gently.

There sat an elegant, baby blue, spaghetti strap dress that more than likely ended a little above the knees. It felt like it had been made from satin and the lining was gold.

"Oh my God! Edward!" He laughed at her reaction as she began to pull out the top section.

"I want you to wear it on our next date. It'll look great for what we'll be doing."

Bella looked at him questionably, but didn't ask. It wasn't like he would tell her what he had planned.

"I love it, Edward." She smiled and then wondered about something. "How did you know my dress size? I don't even know that."

He smirked and just answered with one word. "Alice."

_Of course_, she thought as she place the box on the dashboard.

"You better get inside. Charlie might get a little worried."

Bella wasn't even sure of that anymore. So much had changed, she wasn't sure if she still had _her_ Charlie. She had only been able to see Cara's new creation.

Or maybe she was just being bitter. He was just happy. That had to be it.

"Maybe." _Why can't I bring myself to tell him about my feelings?_

"…_you can stand anything."_

Oh, right. She wanted to prove his words correct. If that was possible.

"Is there anything I can do before we see each other tomorrow?"

Bella smiled at his offer and turned to face him. "There are a few things."

His crooked grin reappeared. "Like what?"

"Oh, I'm sure you could guess those," she said as she grabbed his hand.

His golden gaze heated her body by meeting her own dull gaze. She didn't even notice when he turned his body slightly toward hers.

She held down a shiver as his free hand ran ever so gently through her hair. Her body changed temperature when he closed in on her and everything around them disappeared, like always.

And then, his lips melted on hers. His kiss wasn't hasty or needy. It was romantic, sweet, and passionate.

But Bella didn't have as much control and patience as Edward. Her hands found their way to his hair, the most amazing thing that she had ever run her hands through.

Her lips became hasty as she tried to pull him closer.

But all good things have to end, as they say.

"Bella. My control…" They were both left breathless and obviously unable to think straight. Edward had to turn away it seemed for some reason.

"Lose it. Just once." She had definitely lost all track of thought.

Edward turned around with a glare now. "Bella…" He closed his eyes and sighed before continuing. "Not now. Later."

"Bells? Is that you?" Bella looked up when she heard Charlie Swan's voice. Way to ruin a great discussion.

She opened the door and replied, "Yeah, Dad, it's me." She turned to Edward and rolled her eyes. "You're lucky."

"I truly am." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead before smiling. "Now, get out of here."

Bella obeyed this time, tucked her box under her arm, and met her father at the door. The odd, fatherly wave he gave Edward really unnerved her. She thought that he hated his guts.

"Dad? Are you okay?" She bent a little forward to press her free hand on his forehead.

Her father laughed and pushed her hand away. "Of course I'm okay. Why?"

"Um, you just waved to Edward. And without any kind of malicious intent." She watched her father to see if there was anything that showed that he was acting.

But there was nothing.

"Oh, Bella. Ever since I met Cara, I realized that the way I treated you and Edward was completely unfair. I wouldn't want you acting that way toward Cara."

Ouch. That hit a spot. She had actually planned on doing that at some point.

"Oh, that's nice of you. Well, I'm going to start heading to bed. G'night."

"Night, Bella." He followed her inside but walked off in the direction of his room. Well, his and Cara's room.

She climbed her stairs, eyeing that piano. She promised herself that when she was alone, she would see if she had gotten rusty at playing her lullaby.

But when she walked into her room, she saw clothes flying and hitting everything in sight. She looked to the closet to see Ivy glaring at the clothes.

"What happened in here," Bella asked, unable to hide a little of her irritation.

Ivy looked up and glared. "You don't have anything presentable in here. I can't believe you expect me to wear your clothes if they aren't even stylish."

Okay, this girl was going to get on her nerves. Just because she was new, didn't mean she could run this place like the spoiled, rotten kid that she was.

"Maybe not for you, but I'm sure that these are stylish here. And besides, if you don't like them, don't wear them. It's as simple as that."

Ivy looked at her with wide eyes at first but glared a little harder.

"No, it's not. I _do_ have to wear something, don't I?"

"I thought you went shopping today."

"That was only for mother."

Wow, that told a lot about Cara.

Ivy wore a smug grin as she began walking over to the dresser now. But she stopped when she saw Bella's present. "Oooh! What's that?"

She wouldn't dare wear this dress. Not unless she wanted to die.

"Just a present."

For some reason, Ivy got really angry at the word 'present'. She turned on her heel and stomped out of the room.

That was odd.

Bella shrugged and looked back to see that Ivy had completely disappeared. So she slid the box under her bed, covering it with an old curtain that she didn't know was under there.

But as she did, she saw the old photo album that she had forgotten in the old house. She smiled to herself as she sat against her bed and flipped through the pages.

_Edward Cullen, Charlie's kitchen, Sept. 13__th_

Bella remembered when she had taken this picture. It was before he left. That was why he didn't have a smile.

But when she flipped it over, she saw that smile. Along with the beautiful shade of green coming from their meadow's grass. But it was darker than usual. And Edward wasn't sparkling. Which meant that it was cloudy outside.

But that was more recent. It was after a happy piano lesson with him. Edward's tie was loose and his collar hung open. Not to mention that his hair was a little more messy than usual.

It was from his hand running through it many times. Hers, as well.

She smiled and turned to the next page. There, she saw Alice, Jasper, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward and her standing next to each other. Carlisle had taken the picture with Esme watching over them with motherly love. As usual.

She sighed and closed it, reminding herself to take more pictures whenever she got the chance.

She looked up to see something she didn't expect. Jacob was standing in the doorway, watching her. She had been convinced that he hated her. But maybe not.

"Jacob," she asked, rising instinctively. Maybe there was something wrong and he needed her.

No. Because when she started walking towards him, he turned and walked away. Bella questioned briefly if he was in his right mind. But obviously he was. He just didn't like her.

She sighed and turned to see a cabinet next to her bed. On the shelves, she saw her many trinkets. A jewelry box, a few books, and a camera. But the cabinet underneath was locked with a pad lock. Thankfully, the key was inside the lock.

She wondered what was in there for her now.

Bella walked over to it, photo album in hand, and unlocked it. She slowly opened the doors and looked inside. There was a letter inside that had Charlie's handwriting on it.

She picked it up and read it, wondering how many surprises her father actually planned to make for her.

"_Bella,_

_I don't know when you'll open this, but when you do, I hope that you'll use it wisely. This will be your own little secret space where you keep your most precious things. Not even I will be able to get into it._

_I hope you can forgive me for not being there as much as before. I love you._

_Be nice to Cara._

_-Charlie."_

She smiled and just accepted the fact that Charlie was going to be a little more… fatherly now. Even if he wasn't home.

It was probably to impress his new wife.

_No, don't think like that, Bella. He's probably just got a rude awakening or something._

She looked into the cupboard and sighed. Well, she might as well put this in use. She placed the photo album in there, and thought of something else to put in there.

The box containing the dress was too big, so that was a no.

Suddenly, her cell phone went off. She jumped from the sudden amount of sound, but answered it.

"Hello?"

"Bella? It's Angela."

"Oh. Hey, Angela. What's up?"

"I was wondering the same thing. We haven't talked in a long time. And you didn't give me your new number."

She hadn't spoken to Angela since last summer. "I'm sorry. It must've slipped my mind."

"That's okay. Alice was able to give it to me."

Of course, Alice would predict such a thing. "Was there something you needed?"

"Of course." Bella heard Angela chuckle. "Ben's cousin is coming down. I want you to come meet her with me."

Bella was shocked. "Um, why me?"

"Come on, Bella. I don't want to meet her by myself. You know how shy I can be."

Bella remembered well her first few days at school and she understood.

"When is it?"

"Tomorrow afternoon. We're meeting in the Forks High's parking lot. Then we'll be going out to dinner. We'll be in the new café that just opened."

They planned everything, didn't they, Bella thought to herself. "I'll see if I can make it. May Edward join?"

"Of course!" Angela sounded pleased now that she would be attending.

And then Bella heard a horn in the background. "Oh, that's Ben! I'll talk to you later, Bella, okay?"

Bella smiled and replied, "Okay. Take care."

"You too." _Click._

Bella smiled and looked at her phone. She decided that now would be a good time to change her ringtone, before she forgot again.

She scrolled through the many different choices, finally choosing "Fur Elise," the piano sound reminding her of Edward.

Speaking of piano, she wanted to play a little. Just to make sure she didn't get rusty.

She rose after placing the photo album in the cupboard and locking it. Then she descended the stairs, walking straight to the beautiful piano sitting on the far side of the living room.

A smile danced across her face as she sat across the perfectly polished bench and her fingers glided against the smooth ivory of the keys.

"What are you playing?" Bella looked up and saw Cara walking down the stairs with a motherly smile. A _fake_, motherly smile.

"Oh… it's, uh… a song my boyfriend wrote."

"Your boyfriend? Wow, Bella! You sure are going through adulthood smoothly." That smile never left as she slid next to Bella and watched the piano.

Bella didn't want to play for this pig headed woman. No, this very classy woman. She wanted to play only for herself or Edward.

But she didn't want to disappoint her father. She had to prove that she would try to make this family work.

So, her fingers danced across the piano keys. The music made her smile as the image of Edward flashed through her mind. The beautiful tune had her closing her eyes and a sort of trance come over her.

"Wow. Your boyfriend sure does have some talent." Bella reopened her eyes at that remark. She had totally forgot that she had finished playing.

"Oh, yes ma'am. He does." She offered a sort of smile toward the woman, not entirely able to put on a true one.

Then, Cara pushed out a strand of hair from Bella's face. "Your father is very proud of you. You know that?"

Bella felt odd while talking to her like this. "Yes, ma'am."

Cara smiled and looked down at the clock and gasped. "Look at the time. You should be headed off to bed."

And before Bella knew it, she was rushed up the stairs and into her room. "Good night, sweetie!"

She jumped when the door closed a little loudly behind her, leaving her all alone.

A sigh escaped her as she plopped down on the bed, not exactly happy to see her new mother so excited about the bedtime deal.

Suddenly, her phone went off and Edward raced through her mind again. She sighed as she walked over to it and picked it up.

"H-"

"Bella! It's Alice! There's an emergency! It has to do with Emmett!"

"Wh-What? Alice, what are you talking about?"

"No time to explain! Just get over here!"

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To Be Continued

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	7. Chapter 6

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Chapter Six

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Bella arrived at the Cullens' residence shortly after running out of the house without an explanation to Cara, leaving only two words with Charlie. "Cullens. Emergency!"

She opened the door as she stepped out of the truck and immediately ran to the front door, Alice opening it when she was only a few minutes away. "Alice! What-"

The short vampire took hold of Bella's wrist and led her inside, closing the door behind them. "Bella's here," Alice yelled as she dragged Bella to the kitchen, not noticing her best friend fumbling quite considerably behind her.

"Alice, what's go-" But Bella couldn't finish her sentence, for it caught in her throat as she saw Emmett lying motionless on the island in the center with Carlisle bending over him and examining.

"I don't see why I'm not allowed to move," Emmett groaned as Carlisle looked on the opposite side of where Bella had entered. She was too busy watching to even feel Edward's arm wrap around her waist.

Esme frowned as she watched over and asked, "Is he going to be alright?"

"Oh, he'll be fine." Carlisle replied with a smile. "I just need to check it out before we jump to any conclusions."

Rosalie kept a hand on Emmett's shoulder as she watched as well, her eyes not leaving her husband's. That was when Emmett groaned as Carlisle's tools probed.

"That doesn't feel too nice, Car." But Carlisle ignored his son's complaints.

Bella felt the confusion wash over her body as Alice stood by Jasper. She knew what was going to happen obviously, so why did she act like a wreck?

"Emmett," she heard Esme ask. "What exactly happened?"

He growled as Carlisle poked him mercilessly, pushing down his body to keep him still. "He attacked me while I was hunting. I had smelled him, but I knew that I wasn't in the territory."

He winced as Carlisle pulled away while taking off his gloves. Why wearing gloves mattered, Bella didn't know or care. Right then, she just wanted to know what in the world he was talking about.

"Wha"-

"I'm so sorry, Emmett. I should've seen this coming," Alice apologized, as she stood strong next to Jasper, who merely watched her. No doubt he was trying to calm Alice's emotions.

"No, it's fine. You can't see with their kind," Emmett replied with a smile.

Bella decided to look to Edward, who hadn't spoken at all.

When her gaze met his, she felt like he was hiding something, something very important.

"Edward, what's going on?"

Edward looked around to see his family watching the two of them now. He obviously didn't like being in the spotlight.

"Emmett was attacked," Rosalie merely replied, not caring what the girl learned of or not.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Bella still had to ask. She didn't know what or who attacked him.

"Emmett was attacked by a wolf, Bella," Carlisle replied while bandaging his son up. That sent shock through her. Why? Why had it happened to Emmett?

Alice nodded and replied, "Yes. And I wasn't able to see it."

"Do you know who it was," Bella immediately asked.

"No." That was Rosalie. That was just great.

Suddenly, Bella felt herself being lead to the front door. She looked up, only to see Edward. Of course.

"Edward, where-"

"I'm taking you back home. I don't want you around this."

"Edward, no! I want to be here with Emmett!"

Her boyfriend immediately stopped them in front of the entrance. "Listen, Bella. He's fine. Carlisle just wanted to examine for other purposes. To know for certain it was a wolf or not."

"And?"

"I was certain when I smelt him, but Carlisle found a few fibers of fur and teeth marks depicting large canines."

It sounded like wolf, but how could they still be certain. Would they move now?

_Oh God, I hope not._

"But Edward, I still feel like I should be here."

Edward sighed as he wrapped his arms around her. "Don't, Bella. He just needs a few minutes to heal. Carlisle and Esme will treat him well. Rose will see to that. But right now, you need to be in bed."

At the mention of "bed", Bella knew that he was hiding something. The way he said it, made the thought sound repulsing. It was as if 'bed time' was the worst time ever now.

"Edward, what's wrong?" She decided to try again, to try and find what was up.

He sighed and began to lead her to her truck, placing her into the passenger seat. When he got in the driver's seat and started the engine, Bella leaned forward and asked again, "What's wrong, Edward?"

He let out another sigh as he turned to her. "There are wolves around. We never told you, but they live in La Push."

"What?!" But the sudden thunder blocked out her exclamation.

"Yeah. A lot of them live there, where a line separates our territories. If we cross over it, we break a pact and it means war.

Bella didn't know what to say to that. After this whole time that she lived in Forks in peace-ish, she hadn't really thought that a threat like that existed. Again.

"And that's not all."

_Great. What else?_

She braced herself as Edward pulled out of the driveway, only to receive silence. She looked to see if it was too hard for him to say. But she only saw him staring out to the road, making the necessary turns to get her back to her "mansion."

"Edward?"

"Your new brother and sister are wolves."

That was shock of a lifetime. This whole time she had been living with the love of her life's enemies. And she hadn't known it.

Then she remembered that Emmett had said that he had smelled his attacker. And she also recalled that Edward had a hard time sitting in the car with his window cracked.

"You knew all along."

"Yes," he merely replied as he stopped at a stoplight. Little raindrops were falling onto the windshield and hood.

Rain was definitely not required right now. Especially with a breeze coming through and rushing through her ventilation and windows.

Bella sighed and looked out of the window as the rain began to pick up.

"Why didn't you tell me?" She didn't know what to think right now. He had kept so much from her. And if Alice hadn't been reluctant enough to tell her certain things, she would still be in the dark.

"To protect you."

What? Why did he always use that as an excuse? It was her family members! She had the right to know and plus, how would telling her that wolves in her house would prevent protection?

"Edward, how-"

"You would've hinted to them in some way that you knew. And you already smell of vampire around them. So, they might be tempted to hurt you."

That, actually, sounded plausible. But she still didn't see herself as that obvious.

"But they wouldn't hurt me." She began to think over everything that the Cullens had explained about wolves. "Right?"

"Anything could set them off, Bella. So I can't really give you a solid answer."

He had a look of complete regret on his face and Bella wished she knew at the moment of what she could do to soothe his confusion and frustration.

"It's okay, Edward. It'll be fine," she said with a smile, reaching for his free hand.

When he sighed and his crooked grin reappeared, she smiled wider. Bella didn't want him to be stressed out. Not when Emmett needed him at this moment. Not when wolves needed to be confronted.

_Peacefully._ She didn't want anyone to fight. No matter how vicious one was, she didn't want a fight.

o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o

Bella walked up to her house at around one o' clock after kissing Edward goodbye. But she wasn't able to even get to the door safely.

Cara was already standing in the doorway with Charlie behind her. Her arms were crossed and faked worry was apparent on her face. Charlie, shockingly, looked calm and seemed to have been comforting Cara.

"Where have you been," Cara asked while giving her a once over, no a twice over.

"I was at the Cullens'. There was an emergency."

"Oh really? What kind of emergency?" She began to look suspicious. And that was probably the only sincere emotion that crossed her face since Bella first met her.

But she couldn't tell her that Emmett had been attacked, seeing as her children might be the cause of it. Was she one, too?

"There was something wrong with Emmett, but it was really just a false alarm. Carlisle said that it was nothing to worry about."

Cara nodded and began to walk everyone inside, Charlie closing the door behind her.

Bella was standing near the stairs when Cara began to get motherly. "It's after midnight, a time where girls like you should be asleep."

_I'm an adult now, and she thinks she can tell me when to go to bed?_

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts, young lady," Charlie suddenly chimed in.

Bella was shocked but merely nodded and headed off to bed. She couldn't believe what was happening.

But when she got to her door, she saw Jacob standing in the hallway, writing in a notepad again. When he looked up, Bella noticed that his nose scrunched up.

To think that he was a wolf and she didn't know it shocked her.

She walked into her room without another glance, only to see Ivy walking around with her hair in a towel. Her nightgown was ruffled behind what she saw, was Edward's gift!

"What are you doing?!" Bella rushed forward, taking the dress immediately from Ivy's hands.

"I was just seeing if it would look nice on me."

"Well, don't. It's mine." Bella placed the dress back into the box neatly and slid it back under her bed.

"You said that any of your clothes were mine, too. So what's the difference with this one?" Ivy began to reach for the box.

"It's a gift. That's why. Don't ever touch it again!" She pushed Ivy away, making her fall onto the bed. Bella rose and looked down at her, anger pulsing through her veins. That was Edward's gift to her, not Ivy.

Suddenly, the door opened and Cara walked in. "What's going on in here?"

And then Ivy began to cry as she looked at her mother. "Big sister is being mean to me. I was just looking at her dress and telling her that it was pretty, but she got mad and started yelling at me."

Bella was utterly shocked by the whole ordeal now. She looked to Cara and saw the suspicion again. But this time, it was more intense. Like Bella was the source of all of the problems.

Charlie then came in, putting his shirt on. "What's going on?"

"Just a sibling spat," Cara replied, still looking Bella over. "You two go to sleep and we'll talk about this tomorrow."

Cara gave Bella some kind of look before her and Charlie left for bed.

Bella looked over at Ivy to see her glaring at her. "Spoiled brat," Bella muttered.

"Stingy know-it-all," Ivy muttered right back.

The two lied down and Ivy fell asleep almost instantly. But Bella was still steamed. How could Ivy had touched something so precious without asking?

And not to mention at a time like this. Emmett was hurt because a wolf…

That was right! Ivy was a wolf too! And she had been missing earlier today.

_Had she been the one to attack Emmett?_

**o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o**

**To Be Continued…**

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